Re: tube voicings
ok, again, sorry if this is all stuff i should already know. but honestly, i have no one to ask that i trust. you guys have never let me down. ok, so, if you were to recomend me some good high quality tubes, what would they be? what are the advantages of different brands? aka, what do different brands like JJ, and Groove Tubes, and Mesa tubes even...what do they bring to the table?
so how does all this stuff work. i can put different tubes in different slots? i need to find out for sure how many 12's i can even put in my amp...i think 4?? i KNOW i have 2 6L6's...but someone said put a good high end tube in slot one and that will vastly improve my sound. what are all the slots for? do they have different, uh, "assignments?" (for lack of a better term) does each slot do something different tone wise?
You need to do your homework.
It doesn't sound like you have a very clear understanding of how your amp works. The very first thing you need to do is get yourself over to the Mesa Boogie web-site. Find the Owner's Manual for your amp, print it, keep it in a binder and read it until you have a better understanding of how your amp works. They probably have a tube layout chart in there that will tell you what the function of each of your tubes is. After you've read the manual, and you still have questions--give the techs at Mesa a call--they can help you find your sound.
You need to review some of the websites, like thetubestore.com, eurotubes.com and groovetubes.com --and others, to learn more about tubes and how they work. Read Randy Smith's White Papers posted on the Mesa site. Check out Myles Rose and Lord Valve. Then take a deep breath.
And then you have to figure out the hype, and who to trust. Me? I trust Randy Smith of Mesa Boogie. I have been using Mesa amps EXCLUSIVELY for the past 12 years. He knows how to design amps, and he knows tubes.
Yes, the different preamp sockets affect different parts of the circuit. Some affect the reverb, or the FX loop, some the LEAD Channel, some the RHYTHM, some both. One drives the power tubes (in a sense). Yes, changing manufacturers' tubes will affect the tone. I didn't like using all-JJ preamp tubes in my Mesa DC-3, as it made it too dark sounding. Some of the EH 12AX7s sounded a little harsh. Baby Bear said the GT12AX7-M was, "Just right!" Not surprisingly, this amp wound up with preamp tubes from several different companies.
Your Mesa amp does need POWER tubes that are a matched set. Read more about tube matching at thetubestore.com. Mesa amps are set with a fixed, non-adjustable bias, which makes buying new tubes a snap. Just tell your tube vendor that your tubes are for a Mesa--that the new tubes must meet Mesa specs--and the reputable vendors can sell you an appropriate set of tubes. You can them install the new tubes yourself, and you won't need to take it to a tech and have it biased for the new tubes. (Be sure to read what Randy Smith has to say about tube amp biasing.)
Finally, you amp sounds better when it's louder because--it's LOUDER. That is to say, out ears PREFER louder, at least up to a point. And beinging young, and male--you want that nice "V-shape" EQ curve with the cut midrange--mostly because that how your ears hear. True, as the amp gets louder it gets richer sounding, even on the clean settings--mostly due to small amounts of harmonic distortion that "fill out" the tone. But, a lot of it is just because that big 412 cab has started to push some air--and our ears like it! Google "Fletcher-Munson curves" for more information on how our ears hear bass frequencies at low volume.
Bill
I should try to make a recording using a Jamman in the loop (same preamp sound), switching the power tubes. There is definitely an appreciable difference.
